The Summer of Buzz- Part IV

So, that's pretty much been my summer. Since returning, my friend Derek has turned 21. This week, Shaji, our mutual friend, will be turning. In my spare time, I've been working on my thesis on Personal Branding. As of today, I've spent roughly 110 hours on the thing and am looking forward to completing it by november. Hopefully, that will be doable. In a week, my friend James and I will make our annual pilgrimage to Polimeni's, a wonderful restaurant in Canadaigua, right on the water's edge. Each year, we would visit Sonenburg Gardens for the Halloween and Christmas events there. Though the victorian mansion had closed and undergone rough times, we continued our tradition of visiting that quaint town.

On a final note about the summer, my experience abroad has led me to take an inventory of all the places I've been and all the places I have wonderful friends. Certainly, the song about making new friends but keeping the old, one is silver and the other is gold, rings true. I love my friends I've known since high school in the sincerest possible way, and now, I'm lucky enough to have some unforgettable memories to share with individuals from Canada and China. The map you see above outlines four colors. The darkest red is the US, obviously my base of operation and having the majority of my friends. The bright red outlines countries I've both visited and have friends in (Canada being the close second to the US). The pinkish ones are places I've visited, but have no friends in. The gray areas are countries I have friends in, but have never visited.

Why all these personal notes in a professional blog? Simple... Any employer looks for an individual who can balance work and play... balanced individuals are good workers and happier people. That, and RIT is out for the summer amid the recently completed renovation of the (newly named) E. Philip Saunders College of Business. While the study abroad technically was academically-oriented and professional in nature, let's face it...the true emphasis lies in the experiences that will become memories for a lifetime. I have since volunteered to become a peer mentor for those considering studying abroad... just to give them that little extra nudge to plunge in.